Lilleigh at age five

Lilleigh turned five a couple weeks ago, and it has been so fun to see how she uniquely God has made her. Here's just a glimpse into Lilleigh at five...

I love seeing how grown up and independent Lilleigh is becoming each day! This is really a beautiful thing. As the oldest, she leads, and Adeline follows. I feel a whole new season being ushered in, and I love it. Lil can help Adeline with so many tasks that for so long I had to help with. The girls can play in the front yard, near the house, while I'm in the front room. They come out of their room in the morning when the Ok To Wake clock lights up. And my personal favorite- on weekend mornings, I can have clementines, waters, and muffins out at the little table, and Lilleigh can open the muffin container for Adeline and herself to eat breakfast while Mom and Dad sleep in just a little bit. Winning.

We've talked a lot lately about not having "best friends." (We are in THAT phase!) Inevitably we have friends we enjoy more than others, but I've never been a huge fan of the phrase "best friends" because it's so exclusive. However, the exception I make is with your sister (or brother, but that's not the case here). Since Adeline was born, I've always told Lilleigh that Adeline is her best friend and to be sweet to her. The way Lilleigh plays with Adeline and calls Adeline her "best buddy" makes me smile. We always play together no matter what, even when other friends come over. I pray these two would always be best buddies. 

Lilleigh is really into dressing herself. She comes out of her room aa quite the fashionista some days. I've told her she can have two outfits per day - no more. (The laundry pile needs to remain manageable.) If we are going somewhere, Momma gets a say in what she's wearing, but if we are home, she can wear whatever she wants! It's fun seeing her personality come through and what she likes and doesn't.

Lilleigh loves these little toys called Palace Pets. They're a recent obsession, thanks to her sweet friend McKinley! She takes one everywhere with her. She's holding it below in a photo taken from the zoo. I'm not sure what I was thinking letting her take it to the zoo, but the palace pet made it home with us - yay!

Recently Lilleigh has had quite the list of dietary restrictions, as we try to pin point her food sensitivities and heal her gut. She's been such a trooper. I took dairy away from myself for a week, trying to self diagnose my own hormone issues, and I hated every minute of it. But Lilleigh has had such a happy attitude about her list. And it's a hard one too! There's so much to say here, but the bottom line is she's been very mature about it all.

Speaking of mature, the other day she spent 20 minutes putting perler beads on a shape. (Those iron-on bead things) Our sweet 20-month-old neighbor came over and accidentally knocked it over. Lilleigh just sat there staring. I'm not sure if she wanted to yell or to cry, but she calmly just looked at me, searching for what to do. I said, "oh honey it was an accident. I know you worked so hard on that. Let's pick it all up and set you up a spot in your room where you can redo this, and it won't get knocked over." She went right along with this plan. I was so impressed that she didn't have an outburst or get upset at that. She redid it without any issues. I praised her for it later. I was so proud of her self-control and maturity!

This girl's mind is sharp as ever and constantly turning. Lil continues to be a rule follower and lets me know when Adeline or anyone else is out of line. She also never ceases to surprise me with her thoughtful questions (sometimes too many 😊). She's eager to learn, and as a homeschooling momma, I love that. 

I'm sure there's a ton more I could say about this girl, but my brain doesn't function as quickly as hers these days... 😉 I'm off to bed. Nighty, night.